Teachers Are Not OK, Even Though We Need Them to Be (Education Week)
Many Teachers Say They’re Reaching a Breaking Point (NPR)
Teacher Shortages Become Dire, Pandemic Stress Pushing Teachers (ABC News)
The headlines bear out what every educator, from a first-year teacher to a 40-year veteran, knows. Teaching is not only among the most rewarding professions but also—even in the best circumstances—one of the most stressful.
Surveys by CEA and the National Education Association reveal that more than three in four educators report frequent job-related stress, and 27% report symptoms of depression, compared to 10% of adults in other professions.
“With staffing and morale at record lows and teacher stress at record highs, every bit of relief and support counts,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “Not only is CEA pushing legislators, administrators, government officials, and others to ensure better teaching and learning conditions and the funding to recruit and retain great educators and hire much-needed support staff, but we’re also enlisting Member Benefits partners to provide free social-emotional supports that can lift teachers up in these stressful times.”
CEA’s latest offer comes from Copper Beech Institute, which is launching 14 Days of Love—a mindfulness challenge that starts this coming Monday and extends through Valentine’s Day.
This free online meditation challenge offers live and recorded meditations every day for two full weeks. An Introduction to Meditation workshop will be held on Monday, January 31, at 1:00 pm for anyone who would like beginning instruction before the challenge begins.
“We know that there are myriad external factors contributing to teachers’ stress,” says Dias. “We’re tackling these at the bargaining table, at board of education meetings, through legislative and public awareness campaigns, and by every other means at our disposal. We are also committed to finding every opportunity for our members to feel centered, cared for, and valued.”
